Meret Oppenheim Exhibition Opens MASI Season in Lugano

The MASI at LAC in Lugano opens its new exhibition season with a show dedicated to Meret Oppenheim (1913-1985), a key figure of Surrealism. Curated by Guido Comis in collaboration with Maria Giuseppina Di Monte, with Credit Suisse partnership, the exhibition places Oppenheim in dialogue with other artists, particularly the Parisian scene. Oppenheim, who resided in Carona and spent summers on Lake Lugano, had a strong bond with Canton Ticino. She emerged in the 1930s and 1940s alongside André Breton's Surrealist movement, serving as muse to Man Ray while creating intense works. The show features works by Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, René Magritte, and Mona Hatoum. It opens with Man Ray's portrait of Oppenheim and explores themes of food and eros, body and clothing, female roles as fairy or witch, social masks, sexual roles, and passions. The exhibition highlights the enduring relevance of Oppenheim's practice, which spanned from early career to her death. The final work is a fountain with two intertwined serpents, placed centrally in the brightest room, overlooking Lake Lugano.